Iran Threatens More Trade Closures as US Strikes Continue

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the United States ends its “acts of aggression,” and threatened to shut off additional regional oil and gas export corridors — as US forces carried out yet another wave of strikes on Iranian military targets and tanker traffic through the vital waterway ground to a virtual halt.

Fresh US Strikes Target Coastal Defenses

US Central Command said Wednesday morning that drone, air, and naval forces carried out a 90-minute strike operation against Iran’s coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island, following a separate seven-hour operation overnight. CENTCOM said the strikes “further degraded Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”

The Iran trade route closures US strikes Hormuz confrontation has escalated sharply in recent days, driving a steep rise in oil prices as tanker traffic through the strait — which carried roughly one-fifth of the world’s daily oil and gas supply before the war — has effectively stalled.

Iran Warns of Broader Export Disruption

The IRGC issued a stark warning in response to the renewed US naval blockade of Iranian ports, which took effect Tuesday evening after being lifted as part of last month’s memorandum of understanding. “Expect the closure of other oil and gas export routes that serve the interests of the United States and its allies,” the Guards warned, without specifying which corridors could be targeted. The statement raised fears of potential Houthi action to shut the Bab el-Mandeb strait linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

Iran’s state broadcaster separately reported that the country’s army had carried out attacks on US military targets in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain. All three US allies confirmed they had intercepted Iranian drones and missiles.

Trump Threatens Energy Infrastructure

President Donald Trump on Tuesday escalated his own rhetoric, vowing to strike Iranian bridges and power plants next week if Tehran does not return to negotiations. “I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,” Trump said in a televised interview.

A previous threat in April to bomb Iranian civilian infrastructure drew condemnation from UN human rights chief Volker Türk, who said that “under international law, deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure is a war crime.”

Trump also reversed course on Monday’s proposal to impose a 20% toll on Hormuz shipping, replacing it with a promise of “massive” trade and investment deals with Gulf states — a shift analysts said reflected the diplomatic and legal obstacles to unilaterally charging fees on an international waterway.

The dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz has become the central obstacle to any return to ceasefire negotiations. Iran insists it has the right to manage traffic through the waterway. The US and Gulf allies maintain freedom of navigation must be restored without preconditions.